


The Truth About Cats and Dogs

by dizzy



Category: Glee
Genre: Hybrids, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-09
Updated: 2012-11-10
Packaged: 2017-11-18 07:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/558532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizzy/pseuds/dizzy





	1. Chapter 1

Blaine knows. He knows he knows he knows he knows he needs to behave. He sits in his seat in the room that their glee club meets in, literally sits on his tail because he knows otherwise it would be whipping back and forth noisily against his chair. He can’t _help_ it. He rocks a little bit, eyes darting around, smile huge. He can’t help it. 

Kurt’s here. Kurt, Kurt, pretty kitty Kurt, sitting there all regal and pretty. He sniffs every few minutes, nose twitching in the air, tail twitching to match it. He looks pissed off - like he just knows he’s better than everyone else in the room. 

He’s right. Blaine thinks he’s right. Blaine thinks Kurt is the best. The prettiest, the - god, he smells the best, he smells so good. 

He bounces a little too much and his tail whips out from under him, thwapping against the plastic chair. It startles him and he yaps a little then grabs it quickly. Mr. Schue just lets it pass without calling attention to it. Blaine isn’t the only puppy in the room, sometimes it just happens. 

It startles Kurt, too, though - and Blaine feels bad for that. Kurt’s ears are straight up now, his eyes even wider, scanning the room. The hair between them, the shock of pink, is ruffled a little. He looks like he’s going to run away and Blaine tries even harder to behave, be good, be a good boy. He doesn’t want Kurt to leave. He knows Kurt is only here because there’s no detention this week - Glee is next best thing to punishment that McKinley has - but he still needs to make a good impression. 

Kurt has never really talked to him before, save a muttered “dirty mutt” as he passed Blaine in the hall one day. Blaine slumps a little just remembering it, because that day… that had been a bad day. Kurt called him dirty. Kurt called him a _mutt_. He’d ran straight into the bathroom and locked himself in a stall and cried, because Kurt thought he was a dirty mutt, and he’s _not_. 

He’d started gelling his hair back after that, dressing more neatly. People tease him, but he doesn’t care about them, just cares about _Kurt_. Walking down a hallway sniffing, knowing _Kurt_ was there. Sitting in the same seat that Kurt was just in for the class before him… 

But Kurt is here now. Kurt is here, and Blaine can breathe in deep and smell him. (Everyone else, too, but Blaine’s pretty good at singling out scents, and it’s easy because Kurt smells so good to him.) He wants to make sure Kurt stays. He wants to be good, not dirty, not a mutt. 

God, how is Kurt so pretty? Blaine wishes he’d sat closer to the door now. 

*

Kurt can’t believe this is his punishment. Detention would have been a breeze. He loved detention - an hour alone, and no one cares if he does homework or flips through a magazine or just grooms himself.

 

Instead he’s stuck In a room full of people, forced to endure yet another hour of breathing in too much cologne and hybrid funk. He has a sensitive nose and from the moment he stepped into the room all he’d been able to smell were scents that made his tail twitch.

Except one of them. One of them smells… Interesting. Kurt isn’t sure which one it is. A male, he thinks; it smells like boy. He wishes that just once he could indulge in that in a place that didn’t make him nervous.

Alone, in his room, with a boy… The thought is titillating but not one to linger on here. Instead he keeps scanning the room. He knows most of these people, has for years, but some faces are new.

The dog boy with too much energy, spastically looking around, like he’s two seconds away from jumping out of his chair. At least until the music starts and then he calms, brow furrowing, listening hard. His tongue pokes out between his lips and Kurt finds that if he just looks at that, he can uncoil a little…

Kurt blames this entirely on the fact that he's exhausted. 

His father's last check up hadn't gone well and he's been pulling double time to make sure that all horrible food was out of the house and an exercise routine was adhered to. Stress makes it hard to sleep; that and the obnoxious woofing noises that Finn makes in the night. Kurt's basement is his oasis but Finn is loud. He's looking into soundproofing... 

Blaine isn't that loud when he sleeps. He makes these little muffled noises, nuzzling his head into the pillow. Sometimes his leg kicks out and his tail thumps. 

Kurt isn't sleeping but this is the most relaxed he's been in ages. 

Initially, he'd been less than thrilled when to get paired with one of the dogs. He wouldn't have minded Quinn, maybe - another cat would at least respect some distance, avoid eye contact... except that Quinn has a frankly weak voice. Talent wise, Rachel would have been better, but Kurt just can't handle her constant hyperactivity. The cat in him just wants to pounce on the mouse in her, just to shut her up. 

But then Blaine had bounded over and Kurt had realized that he was the one that smelled so nice. Sort of sweet, clean and sweet... still like a dog but for the first time, not bad. Nothing like Finn's "skipped a shower after football practice" sweaty dog funk. And then the assignment hadn't seemed quite so bad. 

When Blaine had invited him over, Kurt had refused. He invited Blaine into his house instead; he feels more comfortable on his own turf. Blaine apparently feels pretty comfortable on Kurt's turf, too, because after about ten minutes of watching Kurt scroll through song lists, Blaine had fallen asleep. 

And then he'd sort of... moved. Moved into Kurt. Moved into Kurt and cuddled. Kurt's tail and twitched like mad and he'd sat ramrod straight for at least five minutes before relaxing in degrees. 

He doesn't even know this boy. He's letting a dog he doesn't even know sleep on his bed. Just the thought makes Kurt's ears stiffen. He's two seconds away from waking Blaine rudely when Blaine snuffles and rubs his face against Kurt's arm. He lets a little throaty sort of growl and does it again. Kurt... Kurt finds himself wanting to rub back, because now he can smell both of them, scents mingling. 

The thought feels a little like floating. 

*

Blaine is having a great dream. He's chasing something - yeah, okay, it's cliche, but those dreams do happen. He's chasing something and then he stops because he sees Kurt. 

His inner dog starts whipping around when it sees Kurt. He wants to chase in a different way. He wants to chase and catch. He wants to catch and nuzzle and hump because Kurt just smells so delicious and he makes Blaine have different kinds of dreams. 

Then he wakes up. He's not really sure what wakes him up at first. His thoughts go: food? Coop home? front door? but it's none of those things. It's just a change in the environment, a different noise that he isn't really used to. It's sort of like a motor running except really quiet. 

Purring. Purring. Because, because... he sniffs subtly. Because Kurt's room. Shit, he'd fallen asleep in Kurt's room? He feels embarrassed, sort of, past the euphoria of just being surrounded in Kurt-scent with Kurt purring by him. 

Then the purring stops and he can tell that Kurt can tell he's awake. Blaine decides the best option is to just pretend that he hadn't heard anything. He rolls onto his back and yawns, rubbing at his face. "Sorry about that. I didn't realize I was so tired, and your bed is really comfortable."

"It's fine," Kurt says, still eyeing him warily. "But we need to pick out a song. You have to go before dinner." 

Blaine looks at the clock beside Kurt's bed, surprised to see it's been over half an hour. Why hadn't Kurt woken him up? He isn't really sure, but for some reason it makes Blaine's tail want to wag. 

*

They start spending more time together. 

It's all under the pretense of rehearsing their song, but the truth is... Kurt just doesn't have many friends at McKinley. There are a few packs of cats around, but none of them want him; he's different. It's not just his hybridnature, it's him. He's surly and rude and has learned early on in life that he's better off on his own. 

He makes good grades, so teachers don't say much when he cuts out of class. Sometimes he gets caught - usually vandalizing, to which he happily retorts that he's usually improving the aesthetic of whatever he's chosen to alter. He's cultivated a reputation, and at some point he'd just decided to give up trying to fit in and accept the rumors, though most of them weren't true. How disillusioned would the student body be to learn that instead of having a wild double life where he prowls gay clubs, he just spends most nights doing his homework while his dad rests on the couch?

He likes being thought of as intimidating, though, so he's changed his entire look to go with it. He's dyed a chunk of his hair (pink for the past month, though he's thinking of perhaps going blue - maybe teal, even...) and he favors more leather and skinnier jeans than he has in previous years. If he hadn't had friends before, after - well, beyond the skanks he sometimes lurks under the bleachers with, he certainly isn't inviting anyone else to try and be friends. 

But Blaine hadn't needed an invitation. Blaine, who has those eyes that makes Kurt's stomach twist, who still smells so damn good, who acts like Kurt having personal space is an alien concept. 

It's disarming how fast he's getting used to Blaine being around. Once they actually start to talk, Blaine is funny and smart and... maybe a little prone to being overexcited but once he's been in Kurt's room for a few minutes he starts to calm down most days. 

Not really today, though. 

"Do I need to get you a chew toy or something?" Kurt asks, exasperated as Blaine gets up and starts to explore the room for the fifth time that afternoon. 

Blaine swings around to look at him, eyes doing that soft hurty thing he does when Kurt insults him. Fuck, fuck, why does that make Kurt feel bad. He lets out a haughty sigh to hopefully mask his guilt. 

But Blaine gets over things quickly, too. "Don't you want to go outside? It's so pretty out there today." 

"You just want to chase a squirrel," Kurt says, rolling his eyes. But he grabs his phone and goes upstairs with Blaine, following behind him as Blaine excitedly heads to the back door. 

Blaine's right, of course. It does feel great outside. Kurt goes straight to his favorite spot, a hammock strung between two trees right in the sunlight. He doesn't sun himself very much out of fear of what it will do to his complexion, but he can't really resist right now. He stretches languidly and his tail moves in a slow back and forth sway. God, he could just sleep forever here like this... 

And then the entire hammock shifts. Kurt hisses and jolts up, but it's just Blaine, eagerly pawing his way in. "Looked comfy," Blaine explains, flomping down beside him. The sides of the hammock curve up as their weight makes it dip and they're pressed together, Kurt on his back and Blaine on his side, sort of half on top of Kurt. He wiggles in closer, wrapping an arm snugly around Kurt, who has no clue what's going on. "Is comfy." 

*

Blaine didn't really mean to just jump up there. He'd been sitting on the ground, watching Kurt... he does that a lot lately. Because the truth is, he has a pretty huge crush on Kurt, and getting to spend time with him has only made it a million times worth. Sometimes he feels like he's crawling out of his skin around Kurt, and it's so easy to just let instinct take over. Instinct that just said closer, be closer. 

He's bounding toward the hammock before he even really thinks about it. As soon as that angry hiss leaves Kurt's mouth, Blaine wants to cower. Sometimes he still remembers Kurt's muttered dirty mutt even though he's been so careful to be so well behaved every time he's around Kurt. He wants to make a good impression, and he thinks that it's working. But did he just fuck everything up with this? 

Then Kurt lays back down and Blaine's traitorous body takes advantage of being so close. He lets his leg rest over Kurt's knee and hugs Kurt to him. "Sorry sorry sorry," he says, and then adds another, "Sorry. You just, you smell... good. And I wanna, it's nice out here, can we just..." 

He's whining, and really, shouldn't this be more embarrassing? But Kurt is relaxing again, that tense posture slowly disappearing. 

Kurt huffs out a little laugh. "Shut up, Blaine." 

There's a shift of muscle underneath Blaine and then, oh, oh, fingers in his hair. Kurt's fingers in his hair, rubbing right between his ears. Blaine's tail starts thumping madly against the hammock. He's never had another boy pet him like this. It really is embarrassing what it does to him. His eyes close and then sort of roll back in his head and he feels so good all over. He whines and hitches closer, whimpers and tries really, really hard not to hump.  
"You really like that, don't you?" Kurt murmurs. 

Blaine nods a bit desperately. "You should probably... stop. Unless you want..." 

He knows Kurt's gay. He knows they've been flirting a little, with the song and just in general. He's pretty sure unless Kurt is the most dense person on earth, that Kurt knows Blaine likes him. 

Blaine's never had a boyfriend. He's kissed a boy, once, but he hadn't gone anywhere else. He'd been nice, a cute little hamster hybrid with chubby cheeks and sandy blonde hair, but he hadn't smelled right. Blaine still remembers how dejected he'd felt, a boy liked him and Blaine couldn't get into it because he didn't smell right. 

But Kurt smells perfect and he's cute and he's smart and he's not at all like what most people think he is. And right now he's touching Blaine. 

Blaine really doesn't want to ruin this. 

"Unless I want what?" Kurt asks. Blaine scoots back a little and looks Kurt in the eye. Kurt's pupils are a little bit blown and his scent is turning sort of... spicier. Is that... is he... 

Blaine leans forward and kisses him, presses his mouth just right against Kurt's. Kurt doesn't respond for a minute and then he curls his fingers in Blaine's hair (oh god oh god feels so good) and kisses back. 

* 

He's kissing a boy. Kurt Hummel is kissing a boy. A boy that he's actually touching and that is actually touching him. 

He could spend forever doing this, he thinks. Blaine's hand is on the back of his neck sort of rubbing over and over and he can feel his own tail curling around Blaine protectively, like that alone can keep the embrace sustained. One kiss bleeds into two and then minutes are passing while they get braver with touches and tongues. 

Until there's a voice calling from the house. His dad. Fuck. Kurt whips around, rolling and landing neatly on all fours on the ground before rising. 

Blaine isn't quite so coordinated. The force of Kurt's exit left him slightly tangled in the hammock and when he gets free it's with a thud as he falls to the ground. He lets out a surprise woof as the air leaves his body, and then just stays there, stunned. 

Kurt looks toward the door and then realizes there's nothing too compromising about helping Blaine up. He gives Blaine an apologetic look and offers a hand down to help him up. Blaine stares between the hand and Kurt's face for a minute and then beams at him, closing his fingers around Kurt's happily. His tail is wagging again immediately, and Kurt has to laugh just a little, because how is it legal for one person to be so adorable? 

His dad would understand, but Kurt still doesn't tell him about the... well, the whatever it is, with Blaine. His dad would probably even be happy. He doesn't like that Kurt doesn't have many friends, and he's been very encouraging about Blaine coming over more and more. 

He doesn't know Blaine's gay. If he knew, the rules would probably change a little. He wouldn't feel quite so comfortable with Blaine being around while he's not home, maybe wouldn't let them just escape into Kurt's basement for hours at a time. 

So maybe it's a little deceitful but Kurt doesn't feel like sharing yet. That's why he has no qualms about sniffing out Blaine before school starts the next morning and asking him in a cool, I don't care what your answer is really way if Blaine wants to come rehearse that afternoon. 

Blaine doesn't seem to get the concept of playing it cool because his face lights up when Kurt extends the invitation. "Yeah. Yes. Definitely." 

Kurt almost smiles back, and then quickly - hoping no one will see - reaching out and strokes his fingertips along one of Blaine's ears. "Good." 

* 

Of course, they have Glee together before they meet at Kurt's house. 

Kurt usually sits near the back, but he sees right away that Blaine has saved him a seat. His lip curls because on the other side of the seat is Sugar and the stench of her perfume drives Kurt nuts. She's a bird hybrid with an absolutely awful sense of smell and an even worse voice. 

She's friends with Blaine, of course. Blaine is friends with everyone. Smile at him and Blaine loves you for life. Kurt wants to be bothered by that, he really does. Except that right now Blaine isn't eagerly greeting anyone else in the room. 

Just Kurt. 

But Kurt still can't stomach Sugar for an hour, so he takes his normal seat. He tries very, very hard not to notice how hurt Blaine looks. 

* 

"Do you still want me to come over?" Blaine asks, voice hesitant and wavering a little. 

Kurt jumps. He hadn't heard Blaine approach. How on earth did that happen? He neatly slides his books into his locker and then turns around. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" 

Blaine's forehead creases in confusion. "You just... oh. I don't know. But, that's good then. Okay. So, uh, I'll just... I'll meet you there? Do you want me to stop and grab some food?" 

Kurt shakes his head. "Just come over around six." 

Blaine's tail wags once. 

They don't usually see each other much during school. Blaine gets good grades, goes to every class, is in a few different clubs... he's active and involved. High school isn't always fun but he makes the most of it. He's not quite popular but he's well liked. 

Kurt is none of those things, but he is well known. It doesn't take much asking around for Blaine to find out where Kurt usually spends his lunch period. 

He's surprised by a couple of things, though. Kurt isn't alone, and Kurt is... smoking. Blaine's face scrunches up at the unpleasant smell of tobacco, though as he gets closer he realizes what Kurt's smoking is different. It's sweeter and actually sort of a nice scent. 

"Blaine," Kurt says, surprised to see him there. His eyes dart around and Blaine wonders if Kurt is embarrassed to be seen with Blaine. "What are you doing here?" 

Blaine slinks a little bit closer to Kurt, like he's trying to avoid everyone else. He knows Puck; big, goofy guy, but sort of threatening. Blaine's freshman year, Puck used to stuff his locker full of dog treats and flea powder. Why is Kurt hanging out with him? 

"I came to find you. I thought we could eat lunch together." Blaine's voice is sort of hopeful. 

"Awww," Puck says, shifting his attention between the two of them. "Kurtie Kat has a boyfweeeend?" 

Kurt glares at Puck, and then looks back to Blaine, catching his eye. "No, I don't, and if you call me that again you'll get tuna in your exhaust pipe again." 

"Dude, that was foul," Puck says, laughing. "So, what, no lovebirds chirping here? Then you won't mind if I just... have a little fun... " 

He steps forward and plucks at Blaine's messenger bag, grabbing the strap so it falls down Blaine's arm. Blaine immediately tries to yank it back but Puck easily overpowers him. 

Kurt's between them in an instant, eyes narrowing and eats flattening back. "Hands off of him." 

"Oooh, Kurtie Kat's got his claws out..." Puck laughs again, seemingly bothered by none of this. Somehow it doesn't make him any less threatening. He lets Blaine's bag go. "It's okay, I'll just find the little lapdog when you aren't around." 

He walks away, casually winking back over his shoulder at them. Kurt steps in front of Blaine again, then once Puck is out of sight swings back around to glare at Blaine this time. "What are you doing here? Not exactly the best place for someone like you." 

"I just wanted to see you." Blaine's ears droop and his tail hangs between his legs. "Sorry." 

Kurt sighs. "Just... after school, okay? Not during." 

"Can I..." Blaine shifts from foot to foot. He does that when he's nervous, Kurt's realized. 

"What?" 

"Kiss?" Blaine looks up at him, eyes impossibly big. "Please?" 

"... is that what you really came to find me for? You wanted a... kiss?" 

Blaine shrugs. Kurt's already put out the cigarette but he can smell it more strongly from this close up. He hadn't really been finding Kurt for a PG-13 booty call but now that he's hear, he sort of wants to know what that smell tastes like... in Kurt's mouth. 

He's halfway convinced that Kurt is just going to send him away, but then Kurt cups Blaine's face and leans in and kisses him and even with the threats, this is definitely the best decision Blaine has made all day.


	2. Chapter 2

This could get really addictive. Blaine knows he shouldn’t get used to it; cats are so fickle, change their minds so much. But Kurt’s… different. Kurt has to be different. Kurt’s so much nicer to Blaine than most cats are. Than most people are. 

Before Kurt, Blaine spent most of his time wishing that he’d agreed to his parents offer to go to Dalton, to board there. But that would have been being away from his parents, and - his dad gets so angry, gets so angry at Blaine, but they’re still his parents. The thought of not being able to curl up in the living room between his mom and dad just makes him sort of ache. So he’d chosen to stay, chosen his family, over the potential safety of the new school… 

But it hasn’t made him happy like he’d thought it would. He hadn’t really thought it through; that after what happened, his parents wouldn’t want him there. Now that he looks back, he realizes the offer to go to Dalton was as much for them than him. But that was his choice and he won’t, can’t, take it back. Not now that there’s Kurt. And really - McKinley isn’t that bad, not like his old school (flashes of memory - slurs flung at him, shoes slamming into his ribs, pain pain ow why why what did I do why do you hate me) but it’s not been that amazing, too. 

In Kurt’s bedroom he forgets everything, though. With Kurt gently petting him, with the way their kisses get a little bolder every day… it’s good for him. 

He thinks it’s good for Kurt, too. Blaine is dense sometimes, he gets that - sometimes he needs a little reminder to focus - but he’s so used to paying so close attention to Kurt and everything about him. He thinks that Kurt is a little happier because of Blaine, because of them. 

At least he hopes so. 

Kurt makes a noise underneath him, and the kiss fades into a not-kiss. Blaine presses his face to Kurt’s neck and he can smell Kurt all over him and he knows it’s on purpose and he loves it, wishes Kurt did this in the morning when Blaine could prance through school smelling marked instead of just slinking home to wash off before his parents catch the scent. 

* 

Kurt only has two days left in detention. 

His song with Blaine isn’t even supposed to happen for a week. 

He won’t even be in detention then. 

He could do the decent thing and just agree to stay in the club until the assignment is due. He could, but… well, he has that reputation, and all. 

So he does the only thing he can think of. He shows up to the school half an hour early - before the other students are there but not so early that the doors aren’t locked and there aren’t some teachers around. 

Can of spraypaint in one hand and thesaurus in the other, he starts with the captain of the football team’s locker and keeps going down the line until he gets caught. 

* 

The day they’re supposed to duet, Blaine doesn’t show up to school. 

Kurt’s first reaction is a lash of anger, burning betrayal, because Blaine is supposed to be here. Kurt’s adaptable when he has to be but he wasn’t supposed to have to be, not today, not for this. 

In the end Mr. Schue tells Kurt that they can swap with Mike and Tina. He doesn’t say where Blaine is, but he doesn’t seem too bothered by it. Kurt leaves ten minutes into the meeting, stalking out. No one comes after him, but Mr. Schue must not turn him in because no one ever says anything about it to Kurt. 

The next day, Blaine isn’t at school either. Around mid-afternoon Kurt grabs his phone and realizes he doesn’t even have Blaine’s number. He hadn’t really needed it; he’d told Blaine where to be and Blaine showed up, faithfully, every time Kurt extended the invitation. 

He skips glee practice that day and goes to the office instead. Kurt is very, very good at not being seen when he doesn’t want to be seen; it’s no problem for him to slip into the fileroom. The door is locked but he gets it open with a flick of a pin, and the details of every person at this damn school is at his fingertips. 

He goes to the first tile cabinet: Aa - An. He opens it and flips to the back. Blaine is the first Anderson he comes to. 

He only really means to get one thing, but there’s so much more there. Not his McKinley file; that one is boring, good grades and only pleasant remarks from the teachers. It’s the one behind it, the blurry photocopies of records from another school. 

Kurt stricken by the words he sees in typed black and white. The list of injuries, the grievances filed against other students. Three, four, five times it happened… and the last. Kurt’s eyes slit and without his realizing it his nails sharpen into claws that puncture the paper. He quickly retracts them, fumbling for his phone and taking a picture of each page. Later he’ll blow them up on his computer and read it - read everything. For now, he slams it shut and shoves it back into the drawer. He has what he’s come for - Blaine’s address. 

* 

Kurt realizes when he actually gets to Blaine’s house that he might should have come up with a better plan than “show up.” Blaine’s car is the only one in the driveaway. In a house this big, Blaine’s bedroom could be anywhere. There are windows all over. He wishes again he could just call or text Blaine. He can’t, though, so he knocks and waits - 

And nothing. 

But Blaine’s car is here. It’s possible he’s out with his parents, but Kurt can’t just leave without trying again. It’s easy enough to scale a tree and hop onto the ledge that goes around the second floor. He’s quick on his feet and agile; it’s nothing to prowl until the scent of Blaine (comforting, soothing) gets stronger. 

The fourth window he comes to has blinds drawn open. He looks inside, and - there he is. Blaine, curled up in bed, arms wrapped around his pillow, half the blankets on the ground, and tail sticking out from under a disheveled sheet. 

The window is about as hard to get into as the locked school door had been. He can tell as soon as he’s in the room that Blaine isn’t right; there’s something slightly off about it, a touch of something different in Blaine’s scent. He creeps over to the bed and sits on the edge, reaching out but whispering in a firm voice. “Blaine?” 

Blaine yaps and jerks away. “Kurt? Kurt?” 

As soon as he gets a closer look Kurt can tell that Blaine’s skin is clammy and his eyes are a little wild. He doesn’t look like he’s been out of the bed all day long. 

“It’s me. You weren’t there… our duet was yesterday.” 

Blaine’s head drops back down to the bed. “Sorry. ‘m sorry. Sick…” 

“I can tell.” Kurt frowns, and looks around. “What is it? The flu?” 

Blaine shakes his head. Then nods. Then shrugs. Finally he offers a befuddled, “Don’t know?” 

Kurt almost wants to laugh at how cute and pathetic he is. “Where are your parents?” 

“Out - trip. Something.” Blaine can’t really remember. He knows that this is something he should know, but he just doesn’t. “Kurt?” 

“I’m here.” Kurt touches his fingers to Blaine’s matted curls. His tail is still and his ears droop a little. “Have you taken anything?” 

Blaine shakes his head. Then nods. “Advil. Yesterday. Think I ran out. Couldn’t find anything else. Couldn’t… move.” 

Kurt frowns. “Have you even eaten?” 

Blaine flings an arm out and points to the barely touched package of crackers and three cups of water on his bedside table. 

“Where are your keys? I’m going to the store for you, and I don’t want to have to climb that tree again. I’m going to need a manicure after that.” Kurt scowls down at his previously flawlessly painted deep scarlet nails. 

“What? I mean - my jacket pocket. On the desk.” 

Blaine rolls onto his other side so he can watch Kurt as he digs for the keys, triumphantly holding them up. They jingle in a very appealing way and his eyes follow them for a split second longer than he means before he closes his fingers around them. 

“I’ll be back soon.” 

* 

A few minutes after Kurt’s gone, Blaine can’t remember if he was even there or not. 

He sort of aches all over and he’s spent twenty four hours going back and forth between too hot and freezing cold. He’d realized that he was sick with enough clarity to crawl into bed but after that it had been a total haze of pain and coughing and such strange dreams. 

Then he isn’t thinking about Kurt at all because he’s fallen into another one of those fever dreams. He’s dancing and there’s a bird there, a full-bird chirping and flitting it’s wings. Blaine stops to watch it, content to curl up on the grass and just watch. Then the grass starts to hurt, like knives under his hands and feet, and he can’t move his legs to run away, and he wakes crying out, whining and flinging his arms out. Can’t move, can’t run, need to get away- 

“Blaine!” Kurt’s voice cuts through the dream and Blaine jerks awake. 

Kurt’s looking at him at him with wide, worried eyes. 

“Just a dream,” Blaine says, trying to catch his breath. It makes his chest ache even more and he puts a hand over his heart and rubs. “Everything hurts.” 

“I know.” Kurt’s fingers cover his and Blaine lets his eyes shut, drawing in the scent of Kurt. 

Then Kurt withdraws and Blaine can’t find the strength to open his eyes again so he just listens to the sounds. He almost falls back asleep but then Kurt is moving him, sitting him up. “You need to take the medicine,” Kurt says. 

It tastes like nothing when he swallows it down and then Kurt is curling up behind him and it’s bonier than the pillow, really shouldn’t be more comfortable, but somehow it is. 

* 

Kurt lets Blaine sleep for almost two hours. He uses his phone until his battery gets too low and then puts it aside, unwilling to move to go put it on Blaine’s charger. 

He stays there sitting against the headboard of Blaine’s bed with Blaine cradled in his arms, heavily resting. His fever is broken. The medicine also seems to have eased his aching joints and he hasn’t had that rumbling low cough in his chest in over an hour. 

But Kurt still doesn’t want to leave. He likes the warm weight of Blaine in his arms. He likes the soft feeling of Blaine’s ears when Kurt rubs his fingers over them. Normally Blaine has a reaction to that, the kind of reaction that makes Kurt tingle and feel insanely proud of himself. Now he does nothing, just sleeps on. He looks so much younger like this, sweet and beautiful in a way that makes Kurt feel like he’s the one that’s too-hot all over and slightly ill. He turns on his side a little and slips down on the bed, forehead to forehead with Blaine. His tail sways slowly back and forth, and he spends the rest of the hour memorizing the way Blaine looks. 

After two hours he knows he needs to get Blaine to eat something before he goes home. He’s stayed out late before - fucking around with Puck or some of the other skanks, late night prowls to terrify the elderly and little children and almost no one else. But his dad always says the same thing; I trust you, Kurt. And then Kurt feels bad for a week and there’s nothing he hates worse than feeling bad about something. 

He slips out from under Blaine and decides that the soup he’d bought. He hates that it’s store bought. He could make a fantastic homemade chicken noodle soup with vegetables if he had a few more hours, but he doesn’t. All he needs for this is three minutes and a microwave, though. 

Blaine’s house is huge in a way Kurt hadn’t realized before, going straight from the bedroom to the front door. Now he takes his time and pokes his head in rooms - so many guest rooms, elegantly decorated but utterly unlived in. A suite with a locked door - Blaine’s parents? A study, a music room, a room that seems to serve no other purpose than a stack of boxes in one corner. He takes his time on the stairs, not wanting any to squeak. He’s not afraid of what would happen if Blaine’s parents were to arrive. He knows what would happen; he’d have some very unpleasant words to say to them. 

He finds the kitchen, finally. It’s massive, impressive in the same way the rest of the house is. It looks barely used. There is a microwave, though, and Kurt finds bowls in the fifth cabinet he comes to. While it’s heating he finds napkins and a spoon and then an even better discovery, a tray table. Bread and cheese in case Blaine is hungrier than Kurt anticipates he’ll be, in case the medicine works better, and the pleasantly warmed soup smelling wonderful despite it being an unfortunate concoction of chemicals and preservatives muddled through with some actual nutrition. He adds juice and water and calls it done, putting the rest of the soup in a lidded container to go into the fridge. 

He moves quickly despite the precarious load, unquestioning with his ability to balance. 

Blaine is still fast asleep and Kurt doesn’t want to wake him. He looks around the room before spotting a little table. It doesn’t take him long to add the medicine Blaine will need to the tray and then gently shake Blaine awake. 

“I have to leave,” he whispers, then waits to make sure Blaine is actually paying attention to him. “You need to eat.” 

“You’re so pretty,” Blaine says, a slow smile spreading on his face. “Kiss me?” 

Kurt stiffens. “No. I’m not catching whatever you have.” 

“Oh. Yeah, I don’t want you to get sick. But if you did, I’d bring you soup and pet you.” 

Kurt realizes then that maybe Blaine hadn’t been entirely asleep the whole time. He takes a step back, ignoring Blaine’s disappointment. “If you aren’t at school tomorrow, I’ll come back and check on you.” 

“Really?” 

Oh. He sounds so _surprised_. So happy. 

Kurt steps back in and kisses Blaine’s forehead. 

* 

Blaine still feels awful, but somehow… it’s not quite as bad as it was before.


	3. Chapter 3

There's a guy with Blaine. 

Kurt notices them walking together, notices from his perch on top of the stairwell cage. He sits with careless agility, enjoying the morning breeze and the chance to spy on his classmates. 

(All of them. In general. Certainly not one in particular. He certainly didn't get here early and claim this spot just to watch and see if Blaine came back to school today.) 

But Blaine's with a guy. Kurt's seen him around; he's new, a fox - in the literal sense and maybe the figurative one, too, though he's not Kurt's type. Kurt isn't even sure what his type is, except... not this. Slick and overly polished, sneering... 

Except Blaine is smiling at him and their shoulders brush and something in Kurt's chest goes tight. 

*

Blaine is back in school and he has to fight every instinct not to just seek Kurt out. It's like the worst tease ever, after two days wrapped up in nothing but Kurt Kurt Kurt to have to remember that the rest of the world requires his attention sometimes, too. 

He wishes he and Kurt had classes together, but Kurt is a year ahead of him (shouldn't be, only ahead because Blaine was held back after the accident, and just the hint of the memory makes him tremble a little) and so Blaine knows that lunch and glee club are the only times they'd get to see each other. 

After a couple of hours it isn't so bad, though. He does have friends here, people that he likes; people that he can just go hang out with. They're not even all dogs. Blaine's never cared much for the kind of cliques that hybrids form; they're all people underneath their fur or feathers. That's part of why he likes the glee club so much. For all their flaws, they'll accept anyone. Hell, they let Sugar in and she's part hyena - she'll never be able to sing without hurting peoples ears, but she has a place in the group. 

"Blainie-poo!" A voice calls out, ringing with an insincere note of sweetness. Blaine rolls his eyes and turns around, bounding over to Sebastian. "Well, if it isn't my favorite fleabag." 

Blaine ducks the arm that Sebastian tries to slide around him easily and responds, "Fuck off," but there's no real ire in his voice. 

Sebastian and Blaine go back years. Their families know each other. If you ask either set of parents they’d rave about how their sons are childhood best friends, but it’s like everything shiny bauble or expensive painting in Blaine’s home: just another shiny thing to make the family look better. They'd only seen each other at holiday gatherings and the occasional families-included business events for their fathers businesses, until Sebastian had effectively gotten kicked out of every private school in the Columbus/Westerville/Lima area, plus a couple abroad. 

Sebastian is gorgeous, but his words are too cutting and his smile is too clever. He sets Blaine on edge, but he’s never actually done anything to Blaine and Blaine can empathize with feeling new and trying to hide the nerves. 

He’s just not really in the best mood to be social with anyone today, though. Blaine is lost in his own happy thoughts and he isn't interested in anything right now that isn't Kurt.

His tail wags a little just thinking about him. 

Sebastian makes a show of looking over Blaine's shoulder. "Anderson, I know you are not that interested in my weekend exploits. So why don't you tell me what kind of bone _you_ spent your hooky time chasing?" 

"I was a sick, Sebastian," Blaine says, stopping as they near his locker. 

"Uh huh..." 

Well, Blaine _is_ kind of a shitty liar. But then the bell rings and it’s an easy escape from Sebastian’s curious eyes. 

*

Kurt tries to keep his distance. 

Blaine is just a stupid dog - Blaine is nothing special. 

He's not even _that_ cute. 

(Lie. Total lie. He's definitely that cute.) 

(Okay, he's not stupid, either. He's actually fairly smart - but he's not the smartest.) 

(Maybe he's a little special.) 

* 

Blaine usually eats lunch outside, under a nice big tree. He'd found the tree not long after coming to McKinley. It's a little far from the lunch room but it hadn't smelled like anyone else, so he'd claimed it happily. It's worth it to have a spot that's _his_ , to have _his_ tree to go to every day. 

He likes to try and finish his food quickly so he has a few minutes to play frisbee with some of the other dogs. If he doesn't he always gets that burst of restless energy mid-afternoon. 

Today when he gets to his tree, Kurt is sitting there. His legs are crossed and his tail rests peacefully over his thigh. He's picking at some sort of salad when Blaine walks up. 

"Kurt?" Blaine feels like he's about to burst with happiness. Kurt is at _his tree_! 

"Hi." Kurt isn't smiling. 

Blaine's mood immediately plummets. He sits down close to Kurt but not touching, his tail drooping a little. "What's wrong?" 

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Kurt's voice is guarded. 

"Oh. I don't know. I guess..." Blaine frowns. Was he imagining things? 

Kurt's voice softens a little and he pats the ground closer to him. Blaine scoots in eagerly until their shoulders touch. That feels better. He's close enough to smell Kurt. God, he smells so good. "How do you feel?" 

"Better." Blaine gives Kurt a shy look. "Thank you for taking care of me." 

"Well, someone had to," Kurt says, haughty. "Stupid dog. You'd have just laid there until you were half out of your mind with fever." 

"But I didn't." Blaine tears off a bit of his sandwich and plops it into his mouth, chewing as he talks. "Because you came to take care of me." 

"Don't get used to it." 

"Kurt..." Blaine says, putting his sandwich down. He turns until he's sideways, facing Kurt. He can see Kurt's negative reaction to the full on eye contact. His ears go a little straighter and the very tip of his tail twitches. Kurt's always more receptive when Blaine is not looking right at him, but right now Blaine doesn't care. "I like you, Kurt." 

Kurt scowls, turning back to his salad. 

"Kurt," Blaine whines softly. "Just tell me." 

"Why?" 

"Because we can - you know. Date?" Blaine tries not to sound as hopeful as he feels. He's always been bad at disguising emotion, though. 

"You don't want to date me," Kurt says, pushing his salad away. He turns to face Blaine - finally - but curls in on himself, tucking his legs and tail into his body with a hint of warning that Blaine ignores. “Isn’t it better like it has been? Fooling around?” 

“But I like you,” Blaine says, voice plaintive. “Don’t you like me?” 

The tip of Kurt’s tail twitches violently. He shoves to his feet, hair ruffling a little between his ears. 

“Kurt!” Blaine yelps, scrambling to his feet. “Kurt, Kurt, I’m sorry, Kurt, don’t go-” 

But it’s too late, Kurt is stalking off. 

*

Blaine sits there until the lunch period is over and then gets to his feet, unsteady. 

He doesn’t want to go to class. He wants to go find _Kurt_. He lets out a mournful little whine from the back of his throat without even realizing he’s doing it. 

“He’s a cat,” a voice calls out from behind him. 

Blaine jumps and spins around. “What?” 

Blaine recognizes her; Quinn Fabray. The last time he’d seen her she’d had streaks through her hair that clashes with the soft orange and black striping of her ears. She’s a cat, but not like Kurt. He’s not sure exactly what, and he always feels so rude asking. 

Quinn rolls her eyes and nudges past him. “I watched your little Dawson’s Creek scene taking place out there. Let me guess what happened: you made some grand confession of feelings, and he ran away?” 

Blaine blinks at her. “Uh... yeah, actually. How-” 

“Because I know cats, and I know Kurt. Do you know exactly how many boyfriends he’s had?” 

“I’m not sure I want to.” Blaine cringes internally. 

“None.” She starts walking, but Blaine is intrigued. He knows there aren’t too many gay kids in McKinley, but someone as beautiful as Kurt has surely had guys after him. Blaine feels a little yearning in his gut just thinking about it. 

It’s the opposite direction of his class but he follows her anyway. “What?” 

“He’s never had a boyfriend, Fido. He’s gay, plus he’s kind of a bitch, and he learned a couple of years ago that it’s easier to face life with your claws out than try and fit in somewhere you know you don’t belong.” Quinn’s voice has a note of rawness to it that she seems to be trying her best to stifle. It makes Blaine sort of sad. If he knew her better, he’d want to give her a hug. “It’s a choice some of us have to make.” 

“So what do I do?” Blaine asks. 

Quinn stops walking and he almost bumps into her. 

“Do I really look like I have all the answers to your problems?” She rolls her eyes. “I don’t know. Wait for him to pull his head out of his ass and come to you, if he likes you, too. And if he doesn’t - get over it and move on.”


	4. Chapter 4

It takes three days for Kurt to come to Blaine. 

He falls into step besides Blaine, quiet. His eyes cut over every few seconds like he can’t stop himself. 

Blaine realizes he has options here. He can try to continue the conversation from before and hope Kurt don’t take off, he can try to apologize and hope Kurt doesn’t take off, or he can pretend like nothing happened and... hope Kurt doesn’t take off. 

He goes for option three. 

“Hi,” Blaine says, smiling as friendly and openly as he can. “You weren’t in glee yesterday. Everything okay?” 

Kurt tenses in that way he does so often. “I had something else to do.” 

“Well, Mr. Schue gave us an assignment. We’re supposed to pick a power ballad to cover, but change it up,” Blaine says. Kurt’s interest in the assignment is obvious (at least to Blaine, who has spent so much time watching Kurt) and Blaine is encouraged by that. “Do you want to come over after school and work on it?”

“Yes. I’ll be there at five.” 

Kurt walks away without looking at him. 

*

Patience has never been Blaine’s strong suit, and frankly he’s shocked that he’s actually managed to do what Kurt wanted and give Kurt some distance. 

He seriously considers cutting school early to go run laps around his neighborhood and work off some excess energy before Kurt comes over. He’s got that twitch in his limbs that says he just won’t be able to stay still, and he thinks Kurt doesn’t like it when he gets that rambunctious. 

He makes do by hitting the weight room at McKinley and boxing until he’s worked up a sweat. He gives himself plenty of time to make it home and shower before five, but he hadn’t at all counted on Kurt’s car being in his driveway when he got home. 

His heart starts to pound. Kurt’s early. Kurt’s too early. He’s going to be disgusted with how gross and sweaty Blaine is. He’s going to think Blaine is a stupid, dumb mutt who can’t even bathe. 

A whine of despair gets caught in Blaine’s throat and he tries to swallow it down. His hands shake as he pushes the door open to his own car and gets out. 

“I’m sorry,” Blaine blurts out before Kurt can say anything. “I should have showered at school.” 

Kurt stares at him, and then takes a step closer. His nose twitches delicately as he sniffs and his eyes go even wider. “Let’s go instead,” he says. 

Once Blaine lets them in, Kurt leads the way up to Blaine’s room. Blaine follows with his head tucked down. “I can go wash off now,” he tries to say once they’re inside. “If you-” 

“No.” Kurt shuts the door. 

And locks it.

He turns around and advances on Blaine. Blaine takes a stumbling step back. “What?” 

Kurt reaches out like he’s going to grab Blaine by the shirt but then reaches for his arm instead. The closer he gets the more unfocused his gaze “Can I...” 

“Yeah.” It doesn’t matter to Blaine what Kurt is asking; the answer is always yes. 

Kurt leans forward and licks Blaine’s neck. His tongue is slightly scratchy and it makes Blaine’s knees go weak. Kurt licks harder, over and over, and then he’s shoving Blaine back onto the bed so he can straddle him and switch to the other side. 

Blaine stays there passive until Kurt has finished grooming him, the harsh drag of his tongue turning softer and almost sweet by the end as he licks along Blaine’s temple. When he’s finishes, Kurt curls up with one leg draped over Blaine’s thighs and his head resting on Blaine’s chest. His voice is smaller than Blaine has ever heard it before. “Did you mean it?” 

Somehow, Blaine knows exactly what Kurt is asking. “Of course,” he says, slowly bringing his arms up around Kurt. He hears the rumbling of a purr start almost immediately. His instincts say that he should just keep quiet but he can’t stop himself from asking. “Does this mean you like me?” 

Kurt sighs. “You’re silly, and naive, and loud, and obnoxious.” 

Blaine’s face falls. He feels a little bit like he’s been punched in the stomach, and tears well in his eyes within seconds. 

Then Kurt says: “But for some stupid reason, I do like you.” 

Blaine’s voice wobbles. “Really?” 

Kurt looks up at him, frowning when he sees Blaine nearing tears. He nuzzles his forehead against Blaine’s cheek and pets one hand through his hair. It feels so nice and soothing that Blaine calms despite himself. “Really.” 

* 

They stay in bed for almost another hour, trading hesitant touches and then less hesitant kisses. Blaine has a million questions but can’t bring himself to ask any of them, because despite reassurance that the feelings aren’t one-sided he still doesn’t trust that he’ll like all the answers Kurt might give him. 

This is almost as good, anyway; once they’ve both calmed down a little Kurt goes back to grooming him... licking over his chin jaw and collar bones as far as down as the shirt will let him until he just pulls the shirt off. 

Blaine would really like to make out more than he would this but he thinks that this might be important to Kurt, somehow, and doing what makes Kurt happy is the most important thing to him. Then once Kurt’s tongue starts swiping over his nipples it feels good in a different way, in a way that makes his leg want to jerk and makes him hard. Kurt only goes as far down as his belly button before he makes his way back up, though. 

Sometimes he hits ticklish spots and Blaine squirms, but Kurt just pops him with his tail to make him still and holds him down a little more tightly. He also learns that Kurt really likes it when he rubs hard just behind his ears, because that brings back the purr that Blaine loves to hear so much. 

Then Kurt finally does have to go, to Blaine’s disappointment. Kurt lets Blaine hold his hand all the way down the stairs and stops to give him another kiss by the front door. 

“Can I see you in school tomorrow?” Blaine asks, eager. His tail wags behind him. He catches Kurt watching it for a moment. 

“I don’t know,” Kurt says. He reaches up to smooth a lock of shocking pink hair back into place. 

It’s not the answer Blaine was hoping for, but he’s aware that it’s not going to do him any good to push. He steps back, despite every inch of his body just wanting to burrow in closer, and tries to smile. 

Kurt opens his mouth like he wants to say something, then sighs and closes it again, lips pursing. “Goodbye, Blaine.” 

*

The next morning Kurt is waiting to drive him to school.


End file.
